The Death Eater
by Kjkaf
Summary: Something suspicious is going on with Ron, and Hermione is going to figure it out at all costs. Set in 6th year. Rated M for language.
1. 1

A/N: I am not J.K. Rowling and do not own any of the characters.

1.

Hermione was suspicious. Then again, so were Ron and Harry. Unlike Ron, however, Hermione wasn't suspicious of Harry. Harry was his usual oblivious self. And unlike Harry, Hermione wasn't suspicious of Malfoy. Granted, Harry's suspicion of said blonde had everything to do with Harry's obliviousness. *Sigh* No. Hermione was suspicious of the last person she ever thought she'd need to be suspicious about. She had written this person off as not having enough brain cells to undertake suspicious activity. She wasn't certain whether to feel relieved the brain cells were there or feel irritated that the existence of the brain cells was interrupting her study time. Exams were coming up, after all - in a mere 8 months. Her favorite highlighter was already running out. She'd have to owl her mum for more. And page flags. Lots of page flags. All the page flags. Wait, where was she…

Oh yes, Hermione was suspicious. And the subject of her suspicions? Ron. Ronald Fucking Bilius Weasley. Her red-headed best friend whose talents included beating probably every witch and wizard alive at wizarding chess and Annoying the Everloving Fuck out of Hermione. The suspicious behavior had already been added under the category of Annoying the Everloving Fuck out of Hermione. He was currently employing his other talent against Harry (which really didn't take much effort, bless Harry's heart), who was too busy using his own limited brain cells trying to figure out how to prove his suspicions about Malfoy. Luckily Malfoy's current whereabouts and activities were unknown to Hermione (and apparently Harry - seriously, the level of stalking her "straight" friend engaged in should have clued all of Hogwarts into the fact that Harry was indeed anything but straight). *Sigh* Hermione thanked the gods that Harry and his obsession were housed in different areas of the castle. The two wizards would likely be dead if they lived in the same dormitory, either by each other's wands or their fellow dorm mates' wands (constant fighting and obsessing would have no doubt eventually led to constant snogging and shagging…hmmm, maybe Harry's obliviousness was for the best). At least the bloodshed would have occurred in the dungeons, since Malfoy would have murdered the sorting hat had it tried to put him in Gryffindor. Red just wasn't his color, and he'd have been stuck with Weasleys. Wait. Can you murder an inanimate object, even if it is sentient? Sounds like another topic for the Shit to Research when Harry and Ron Aren't Acting Like Idiots List. So far only one topic has been crossed off the Shit to Research when Harry and Ron Aren't Acting Like Idiots List (hereafter referred to as "The List"), and that was purely by accident. Damn Bulstrode and her cat. Luckily Madam Pomfrey had given Hermione her own room during _that_ episode, otherwise she'd never live it down. Harry and Ron still laughed about the ears, tail and whiskers. Friends with minimal brain cells and a failure to see what's right in front of them (even with those hideous glasses) really are for the best. Imagine if her best friends were female… *shudder*

Right. Back to the point. Hermione was suspicious. Ron had been jumpy and secretive ever since term started a month ago. Not to mention Ron kept a very close eye on Harry. At first, Hermione thought he was jumping on the Malfoy Is a Death Eater bandwagon with Harry. As annoying as that would have been, her second suspicion was far more worrisome - that Ron had realized what was _really_ going on with Malfoy, and by extension, Harry. But no. Ron was firmly convinced both that his best friend was straight and that said friend detested Malfoy, despite the rather clear evidence. So, Hermione had been forced to channel Harry and stalk her red-headed, chess-loving best friend. Since she sat next to him at all meals and most classes, this was rather easy. What wasn't easy was figuring out just what was going on. Ginny didn't know, and Fred and George had yet to respond to her letter. Maybe Ron was secretly a Death Eater… *Hysterically laughing* Honestly, Ron would never join Voldemort. Or Malfoy. Not that Malfoy was a Death Eater. Harry was often an idiot, particularly when it comes to Malfoy. Hermione wasn't complaining though. The wizarding world had enough problems, what with Voldemort and his masked cronies causing mayhem. Harry finally seeing what had been all but smacking him in the face in regards to Malfoy would likely cause their world to implode. Wait… maybe that's the solution for destroying Voldemort. Maybe Hermione should add that to The List - highlighted of course. With a page flag next to it too. Oh yes, first thing in the morning she was going to owl her mum. Research was very important after all. Ron's suspicious behavior (of the non- Death Eater variety) would have to wait.

Hermione decided it was time for bed. As she headed across the common room to say goodnight to Ron and Harry, she saw Ron quickly tugging the sleeve of his shirt down his left arm. Seamus was sitting next to Ron, whispered something and jerked his head towards Hermione. "Shit, buggering, fuck..." was all Hermione heard before Ron launched off the couch and ran to his dorm. Hermione reached Seamus and Dean, both of whom started to talk about the weather for the first Quidditch match. In two weeks. Hermione stared at the two to no avail - they continued to pretend that she wasn't there and that they had no clue about what had just happened. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned to find Harry. Harry was sullenly staring at the map, muttering under his breath about Malfoy being up to something. Hermione patted Harry on the cheek and suggested he not stay up all night stalking good looking wizards or else people would start to talk. Harry didn't seem to hear, so Hermione walked up to her room. On the way she decided to start a new list tomorrow: What in the Bloody Hell is Going on with Ron? What in the Bloody Hell is Going on with Ron apparently was going to be first priority. *Sigh* Boys...


	2. 2

A/N: I am not J.K. Rowling, and I don't own any of the characters.

2.

Ron slammed the door to the boys' dormitory shut and practically flew across the room to his bed. Panting, he closed the curtains around his bed, pulled out his wand, and muttered a quick silencing spell. That had been close. Far too close for comfort. He knew better than to trust Seamus. The bloody git couldn't keep his mouth shut, which is why he hadn't told Seamus a thing, or Dean for that matter. Best friends tended to tell one another things. Except he couldn't bring himself to tell Harry. He was still a bit upset with Harry. If Fred and George were to be believed, then Harry was keeping a rather large secret himself. Why would Harry tell the twins but not him? Hadn't he proved himself to Harry by now? Sure, Harry's secret was rather … well, shocking. But, Ron wouldn't abandon him for it, especially since Harry couldn't exactly take it back. It was a forever type of thing. Much like the reason Ron was now hiding. Ugh. Stupid friends keeping stupid secrets from one another. Could he really be mad at Harry for keeping such a large secret when he wasn't willing to trust Harry just yet with his own secret? Hermione would yell at him for being a hypocrite. The thought of Hermione knowing his secret made him want to run to the nearest Death Eater and beg for them to hide him. She would KILL him. Oh Merlin. He was dead. Those bloody idiots down in the common room had nearly let his secret out - a secret they shouldn't have known. So how in the hell had they found out? Maybe Fred and George could help him find a way to keep the idiots from telling anyone. Really this whole situation was the twins' fault anyway. They owed him. He'd send them an owl tomorrow. Right now he needed to pretend that his life hadn't taken a drastic turn. He'd go to sleep, and when he woke up everything would go back to normal. The power of positive thinking.

Ron woke up the next morning bright and early. He took a look at his arm and groaned. Nope. Still there. Fuck. Just fuck it all. He got out of bed and reached into his bag for some parchment and a quill. He jotted down a quick note to his brothers, grabbed his cloak and shoes, and ran up to the owlery. Pig was all too eager to be of use, and Ron had to physically restrain the bloody owl from fluttering away without the damn note. Stupid bird. Hopefully he actually delivered the request, otherwise Hermione would catch on to his secret and kill him. Death by Hermione was a far scarier prospect than death by just about anything (or anyone) else, even Bellatrix. Possibly even Voldemort. *shudder*

Ron made it back to his dorm without any incident and sighed with relief. And then he remembered that it was a bloody weekday. That meant he would be subject to The Hermione Inquisition all day long. He may as well just give up now. He pondered telling Harry his secret, as maybe Harry could distract Hermione long enough to run away and go into hiding somewhere far away. He'd always wanted to visit America. Maybe he could become an accountant like his Mom's cousin. He could change his name, wear a glamour, and live like a muggle. Harry had plenty of muggle clothes. And Harry owed him both for Harry's secret and for Ron's secret. Ron gagged briefly remembering what Fred and George had told him. He should have begged them to obliviate him. Then again, the twins lived to make his life miserable. Stupid gits.

Seamus' booming voice interrupted Ron's thoughts, and Ron turned to glare at the boy. Seamus, Dean and Neville were sitting in their night clothes on Dean's bed, talking. Seamus leaned in and whispered something in Neville's ear. Both Seamus and Neville turned to look at Ron, Neville with a look of shock on his face, and Ron realized that one more person in his dorm room was now aware of his secret. Fucking wanker. Ron stalked furiously over to the group and growled, warning all three in no uncertain terms to keep their bloody mouths closed or else he'd destroy them. Seamus looked undeterred, Dean nodded, and Neville quickly looked away. They all started getting ready for the day. Ron stomped back over to his bed, grabbed his things and headed out of the door. He looked back before the door closed and was grateful to note the curtains around Harry's bed were still closed. The room was now silent, which either meant Harry wasn't there or he had a silencing charm up. Hopefully that meant Harry still was unaware of Ron's secret. Even though it would be a relief in a sense for Harry to know, Ron was too ashamed to tell him. At least Ron was sure Harry didn't know that Ron knew about Harry's secret. THAT was a secret he'd rather take to the grave. *Gag*

As Ron got into the shower he was reminded of the problem at hand: Hermione. Shit. She'd been practically stalking him since they returned to school. Normally he'd be thrilled with all the attention a good looking girl like her was giving him. But, Hermione was more than just a good looking girl. She was relentless, all knowing, and scary as fuck. His only hope was his best friend. He'd have to throw Harry to the wolves, or rather, wolf. And Hermione was the wolf. He'd just have to distract her with hints of Harry's secret. Maybe that combined with Harry's new side project would be enough for him to create a credible alibi. Yes, that would work. Ron determined to pull Harry aside once he was ready for the day and tell him that yes, Malfoy was indeed a death eater. Ron breathed a sigh of relief and silently apologized to his best friend. But as the muggles apparently say, all is fair in love and war. And this was a bit of both.


	3. 3

3.

Harry groaned as noise started filtering into his head. He'd stayed up way too late staring at the map, err, doing his defense essay. Not like any effort he put into the essay would matter now that Snape was the teacher. Ugh. Why did the universe seem to hate him so? Chosen One my ass. Harry hadn't meant to waste half the night contemplating how to prove to his friends that Malfoy was truly a death eater. He was at a loss though. Why wouldn't they believe him? It was so obvious to him. The blonde never rolled up his sleeves and growled if anyone even came near his left forearm. (Ron: "I bet you'd growl too if Parkinson was constantly trying to feel you up.") He wasn't baiting Harry or his friends like he had the past 5 years. (Hermione: "I'm glad you are finally admitting you're a masochist. I'll see if my mum can send you some books. No Ron, I can't get her to send you comic books. Seamus, if you EVER say another word about my mum, you'll be living with the Giant Squid.") And, most telling of all, Malfoy's normally sparkling and mischievous eyes looked dead. (Seamus: "I think you're getting death eaters confused with Inferi. Hey, if Malfoy is an Inferi then you can't go to Azkaban for killing him. Cause he's already dead." Everyone else: "….") *Sigh*

Harry came back from his thoughts as he heard Ron threaten Seamus, Dean and Neville with the worst fate a teenage boy could contemplate: dying a virgin. Harry stifled a laugh. Seamus had proudly (and loudly - seriously; there's a reason Harry was so good at silencing spells) lost his virginity in third year; Dean was dating Ginny again, and he would be surprised if either of them remained virgins for long, assuming they still were; and Neville was, well, Neville. No doubt the boy's face was red beyond recognition. Although, he had seen Neville sneaking glances at both Luna and Hannah Abbott when he thought nobody else was looking. Maybe he'd give Neville a push in their direction once he'd figured out the Malfoy situation. And figure out the Malfoy situation he would. One way or another.

Harry heard the door slam shut and the other boys muttering. What was stuck up Ron's ass anyway? He briefly recalled Ron leaving the common room in a hurry last night, along with Hermione making some snide comment about people thinking Harry had a thing for Malfoy if he didn't stop ogling him everywhere he went. And yeah, Malfoy had a fine ass. A very fine ass. And his sparkling eyes were gorgeous when they weren't dead. And that mouth. Gods he wanted to wipe the ever present smirk right off of the prat's face. But he didn't have a _thing_ for Malfoy. And he most certainly didn't ogle. Much. Girls were such trouble. Always trying to see intrigue and romance where there was none. Sure, he wasn't currently interested in any of their female classmates. And yeah, his whatever you would call it with Cho was an absolute disaster. *Shudder* And okay, maybe he was slightly obsessed with Malfoy's appearance and whereabouts - for good reason, mind you. None of that meant he was interested in boys. Or Malfoy. Malfoy would be the last boy he would have a thing for, if he did indeed like boys. Which he didn't. At least he didn't think he did. Not that he'd had time to think about such things. Or had people to talk about such things with. The Dursleys didn't need an extra reason to think of him as a freak. Ron seemed to be pretty clueless. Neville would faint if Harry tried to bring up sexuality with him. And Seamus would either try to molest him or tell everyone in the entire wizarding world that the Boy Who Lived loved boys. Rita Skeeter would have a field day with THAT. Luckily it's a moot point. Because if he never took the effort to consider the rather convincing evidence that he was indeed gay (notice the word IF), then it quite clearly meant he wasn't gay. His inner Hermione laughed at his "logic". But, he was very good at telling his inner Hermione to stuff it. He would never tell actual Hermione that of course. He valued his life, thank you very much.

Harry's inner monologue was interrupted by his rather hard penis. Inner Hermione smirked. He mentally gave her a finger. His morning wood had nothing to do with Malfoy. He was merely a healthy teenage male. It happens. And him still being hard even now while thinking about Malfoy and how very much NOT gay he is has a reasonable explanation. He's very healthy. So healthy that wanking last night to his wandering thoughts of what Malfoy was up to was clearly not enough. Thank Merlin for silencing spells. And wanking. And Malfoy. Wait… The fact that Harry came in record time had nothing to do with Malfoy. Inner Hermione smirked again.

Ron and Hermione had already been at breakfast when Harry finally arrived. Hermione had taken in Harry's flushed appearance and smirked at him. Inner Hermione also smirked. Damn it. It's like those two were conspiring against him. Harry decided it best to avoid Hermione as much as possible today, so made his way to the seat in between Ron and Dean. Hermione had been sitting right next to Ron, as usual. Hermione had made it her mission to sit right next to Ron at all times possible the past few weeks. Harry wasn't blind or oblivious (really, he wasn't). He knew his two best friends had a thing for each other. Unlike he and Malfoy. Thank Merlin. Malfoy having a thing for him would be horrible. Awkward. Amazing. Amazingly awkward? Horribly amazing? No. Horrible was the right word. Inner Hermione smirked again. Harry contemplated how to get rid of Inner Hermione. One Hermione was more than enough for him. Maybe he should just go to St. Mungo's and tell them he was hearing voices again.

By the time Harry made it across the hall and to the seat he'd intended on occupying, Ginny had slid onto the seat. She glanced up at Harry and smiled, and Harry started towards the unoccupied seat next to Neville. Ron apparently had other ideas. He grabbed Harry and pulled him down. Right onto Ron's lap. Harry made to get up, but Ron quickly put his arms around Harry's waist, holding him in place. Harry squeaked, his body tensed, and time briefly stood still. What was Ron playing at? Did _he_ think Harry was gay too? Is that why he'd been threatening the others? If both of his best friends thought he was gay did that mean he was? Harry quickly looked around the hall. Seamus winked at Harry; Ginny winked at Ron; Neville looked like he was going to faint; Hermione looked pensive. And Malfoy? Malfoy's eyes were sparkling and full of Death. Hmmm. That's a change. Malfoy's death glare wasn't aimed at Harry though. No, it was aimed at Ron. The same Ron whose lap Harry was still forcibly sitting on. Harry could do nothing but admire those beautiful, sparkling eyes that promised a very painful death to his red headed best friend. Sitting on Ron's lap while gazing at the pool of molten silver in Malfoy's eyes, Harry realized a few things. One, he was hard. Again. Two, he could no longer continue to live in denial that he wasn't gay. Clearly his penis had a thing for Malfoy, or at least Malfoy's angry eyes. So, unless Malfoy was female, that meant that he, Harry James Potter, was gay. And three, he was indeed a masochist. Harry let his head fall to the table. Bloody Hell.


	4. 4

4.

Draco was irritated. Nothing out of the usual there, really. His friends irritated him. His parents irritated him. The mindless sheep at Hogwarts irritated him. And then, of course, there was Potter. Potter had always taken an inordinate amount of delight in irritating him. But this year he'd taken it to a completely unacceptable level. Stalking Draco when he thought Draco wasn't paying attention. Staring at him when he thought nobody was looking. Infiltrating Draco's dreams with his soft lips and strong hands… Yes. Completely unacceptable. Draco was already at the breaking point with his nerves. He needed a release. Smashing Potter's nose had been extremely cathartic. Smashing Potter into a wall while smashing their lips together and grinding his hips slowly at first, and then harder and faster until he came and Potter screamed his name sounded even more cathartic. He felt someone slide in next to him at the table and huffed in irritation when Pansy's hand reached out to touch his shoulder. Yes indeed, Draco was irritated.

Draco had been back in the sham of a school for a month with no progress on his "project". He'd located the blasted cabinet and assigned Crabbe and Goyle to keep watch outside of the room, but that wasn't enough. He just wanted all of this to be done. He was sick of keeping up the pretense that everything was fine, particularly around Pansy. Pansy who was currently asking him in her kitten voice that made him want to vomit if there was _anything_ she could do to help him feel better. His jaw clenched when he felt her hand on his thigh. He turned and looked at her coldly, removed her hand from his person, and reminded her yet again that she had nothing he was interested in. Her face turned a bit red and she scooted to the next seat. Nothing was fine, and unless he somehow managed to complete his task, nothing would ever be fine again.

Just as Draco finished with this pleasant thought, Potter walked into the Great Hall. His detestable minions were already seated at the Gryffindor table, as breakfast was nearly over. Potter's face looked oddly flushed. His unkempt hair was even more untamed than usual, and his robes were rumpled. His annoyingly bright green eyes were even more bright than Draco remembered. If Draco didn't know better, he'd say Potter had just been fucked within an inch of his life. Draco narrowed his eyes and watched as Potter's flush deepened the closer Potter came to the Gryffindor table - Draco could see the confession playing out in Potter's body language. Potter was nervous and seemed to be avoiding Granger's searching look. Draco seethed. Nobody was allowed to touch Potter. Not even the Dark Lord. Potter was his to torment, to glare at, to kiss, to fuck. Draco grasped the bench beneath him to prevent himself from storming over to the Gryffindor table and threatening the imbecilic lot of them. Although, he'd probably need to threaten the rest of the school too. Potter's fan club was especially persistent this year, not that Potter would have noticed. He obviously needed his gorgeous eyes checked.

Blaise jabbed him in the ribs and nodded in the direction of the Gryffindors, interrupting Draco's impromptu daydreaming. Draco glared at Blaise, but looked nonetheless. Weasley was holding Potter in his lap. Holding HIS Potter in his lap. Everyone stared; the whole hall went silent. Draco's glare turned deadly. Wasn't it enough that Weasley had stolen Potter's friendship away from him? Now he was going to steal _this_ too? Oh no. That wouldn't do. That wouldn't do at all. Draco had hated Weasley from the first moment he met him, but he'd never wished him dead. But now? Now Draco not only wished the weasel dead, but he was going to do it himself. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Potter watching him. Potter seemed to grasp Ron's death sentence, as Potter's eyes had widened to an almost comical degree. Potter looked as if he shuddered a bit, and then his head fell onto the Gryffindor table, all while being held on the soon-to-be-dead Weasley's lap. Draco could hear Blaise laughing beside him. He turned to glare at Blaise who merely smirked and winked. Draco clenched his fists to avoid bashing the annoying boy's head in. He was a Malfoy, and Malfoy's were above physical violence. Unless the violence involved Weasley. Draco closed his eyes briefly and attempted to center himself. He opened his eyes, grabbed his bag, stood gracefully from the table, and strode out of the hall as if he didn't have a care in the world, while inwardly he seethed and began to plan a certain redhead's death. He felt alive for the first time in months. He'd kill the weasel, seduce Potter, and worry about the Dark Lord's threats later. Draco would likely be dead by the end of the year anyway, so he might as well make the rest of his time count. Draco smirked and stalked down to the dungeons. He needed time to think and plan. This year was starting to look much better. *Evil laugh*


	5. 5

5.

Neville was having an off day. He awoke to Seamus and Dean whispering furiously to one another while throwing furtive looks at Ron's bed. When they noticed Neville watching them with a confused expression on his face, they nodded him over. *Sigh* He really wanted to stay in bed until the last possible minute, but it seems that wasn't to be. He got out of his warm and cozy bed and hopped up next to Dean. Seamus didn't even wait for him to ask what was going on. He just launched right into the rather convoluted explanation.

Last night Ron was beating Harry at chess (as usual) while Hermione pretended to be doing homework. So far so good. However, Dean had told Seamus that Ginny had told Dean that Hermione had told Ginny that Hermione thought something odd was going on with Ron. Hermione had noticed Ron acting suspiciously, and since Hermione Granger did not take kindly to confusing or mysterious situations, she obviously needed to investigate. Hermione had asked Ginny if she knew of anything, and when Ginny indicated none of her brothers told her anything, Hermione asked Ginny to let her know if she found anything out. Hermione also asked Ginny not to tell anyone. Ginny agreed. And then Ginny told Dean. Ginny asked Dean to keep a lookout for her brother, because if he was up to something then it would be nice to have some dirt on him in case he found them shagging. Also, it was always best to stay in Hermione's good graces. Neville silently agreed with this. Once Dean found out, he decided to involve Seamus, since if one head was better than two, then three were better than two. Although at this point it would seem four heads were involved. And Seamus wasn't known for being able to keep a secret. But, Seamus was known for getting secrets out of others, one way or another. So Dean told Seamus and asked Seamus to not mention Dean, Ginny or Hermione in his information gathering. Seamus assured Dean he was the soul of discretion, and then promptly went over and talked to Ron.

Luckily at this point Hermione really was doing her homework, and Harry was staring at some piece of parchment, muttering about good looking idiots who think they don't have to obey curfew. Seamus went off track here, stating his opinion rather emphatically that Harry was obviously shagging someone, and wouldn't it be funny (and hot) if they could catch him in the act? They'd be set for life in terms of blackmail material. Dean rolled his eyes and suggested that based on Harry's reaction last week, when both Dean and Seamus had caught Harry wanking in plain sight in the dorm when he thought nobody else was around, Harry quite enjoyed being an exhibitionist. It wasn't until after the fact that Harry's embarrassment had surfaced. Dean was quite sure Harry's response to any blackmail attempts would be two quick fingers. Seamus eyes got misty, and mentioned that their little Harry was growing up. Dean rolled his eyes at the dramatics and reminded Seamus that Harry wasn't exactly little. Seamus wagged his eyebrows and decided that Neville needed a better visual of exactly the situation they'd walked in on last week. Seamus didn't get very far before Neville's face was burning red, and Dean, taking pity on Neville, prodded Seamus to continue on with the story. Seamus couldn't remember where he'd left off, still a bit glassy eyed at the thought of not-so-little Harry, and Neville wondered if Madame Pomfrey would agree to obliterate him before breakfast. He was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to look Harry in the eye for quite some time, if ever again.

Dean somehow managed to get Seamus back round to the original story. Last night Seamus had made the brilliant deduction that asking Ron would be the best way to get information. Seamus cornered Ron, smiled his infamous and deranged smile, and stared at him. Ron looked at Seamus for a bit, and then at Dean, who also just stared and smiled. Apparently living with the twins, who taught the Gryffindors the art of staring, had scarred Ron, and Ron tried to move. Seamus grabbed his arm a bit too harshly, keeping him on the seat next to him, while Ron grimaced in pain. Seamus gave him an appraising look, raising his eyebrow and asked him why he was acting so off lately. Ron tried to yank his arm back, but Seamus wouldn't let go. Seamus smiled, Ron glared, and Dean watched Harry staring at the parchment as if he was hypnotized. Ron asked for his arm back, Seamus merely smiled some more, and Dean sat there quietly counting the ticks of the clock while continuing to watch Harry. After two minutes of silence, Ron finally gave in. He rolled up the sleeve of his shirt and showed them his left forearm. Seamus and Dean sat there in shock until Dean noticed a movement from across the common room. Hermione was heading over. Seamus leaned in and told Ron to put it away, pointing out that Hermione would likely kill him if she saw it. Ron pushed his sleeve down, jumped up, and ran like his life depended on it. And knowing Hermione, it did.

Neville asked what they'd seen on Ron's left arm, but they refused to tell him, claiming he wouldn't be able to handle it and that he'd never look at Ron the same way again if they told him. And since technically they weren't supposed to tell anyone about Hermione's suspicions and request for help, they figured it wasn't worth their lives. Dean assured Neville it was disturbing, and Seamus gave his opinion that at least half the school would shun Ron if they knew, and his parents would likely disown him. Neville gasped. He was horrified. It couldn't be what he thought it was, could it? Dean and Seamus looked at Neville knowingly, and nodded their heads.

Just then, a furious Ron Weasley came flying off his bed towards them. He told them in no uncertain terms that if they even thought about telling someone else, particularly Hermione or Harry, that he would cut them down before they could accomplish anything worthwhile in their lives, like having sex. Dean bit his lips, trying not to smile, apparently not wanting to alert Ron to the fact that the boy his baby sister was dating wasn't particularly pure. Seamus made no such effort, grinning like a wild banshee. Neville thought everyone had known Seamus wasn't a virgin. Merlin knows that night in third year was unforgettable. He was still scarred. Which was one reason why he, Neville, was still a virgin. Honestly, the thought of dying a virgin, while a bit embarrassing, was far from his biggest worry. But it seemed like it was Ron's biggest worry, with very good reason. Neville was pretty sure that Hermione was going to kill Ron, long before Ron had a chance to lose his virginity, because Neville knew exactly what was on Ron's arm.

Ron stormed off to the bathroom, and Dean, Seamus and Neville all got ready for breakfast. Harry was still ensconced in his bed, curtains drawn, no sound emerging. Neville figured Harry was depressed or something. Sleeping, staring at blank pieces of parchment, walking around idly, mumbling to himself. Neville determined to be a better friend to Harry and keep an eye on him. He'd also encourage Harry to leave some sort of sign if Harry was going to be out in the open in the dormitory wanking. Neville liked Harry a great deal, and would do almost anything for him. But he had no desire to see any more of Harry than he needed to, and he certainly didn't want to see not-so-little Harry in action. No thank you.

Neville and the others went down to breakfast. Neville blushed at seeing both Hannah and Luna make eye contact with him. Neville was still quite shy around both of them, but they were both nice, easy to talk to, and quite pretty. Maybe Neville would ask one or both of them to the next Hogsmeade weekend. Neville blushed again. He sat down at the Gryffindor table, making sure to leave room between himself and Ron. He was trying to not be obvious, but right now he wanted to have as little contact with Ron as possible. Seamus and Dean seemed to be employing a similar strategy, leaving one seat as a barrier between Dean and Ron. Of course Ginny would likely sit there, and Ron wouldn't kill Ginny. Plus she wouldn't be able to reach Dean over Ginny. Neville considered abandoning his pride and sitting with the first years. They were cute and innocent. Luckily, Hermione walked up to the table right then and sat next to Ron, effectively blocking Ron from Neville. Neville sighed in relief. Ron looked miserable, and clamped down on his arms. Neville looked up to find Luna staring at him with a wry smile. He smiled back and started eating.

Neville kept watch for Harry, wondering if he should have woken him up before they left. Finally, with about 10 minutes left for breakfast, Harry came in, face flushed, hair even wilder than usual, and clothes a complete mess. Seamus and Dean shared a look, and Neville glanced at Hermione. Hermione watched Harry with a smirk on her face. Harry, meanwhile, avoided looking at her as if his life depended on it. It looked like Harry was heading for Ginny's spot, which she had vacated briefly to go talk with one of her friends. She came back and sat down between Dean and Ron a few seconds before Harry walked up. He looked confused for a moment, but then headed towards the empty seat between Hermione and Neville. Neville moved his things over, but Harry never made it. Neville watched in confusion as Ron grabbed Harry and pulled him onto his lap. Harry tried to move, but Ron trapped him with his arms. Harry glanced around as if asking for help. Seamus, being Seamus, winked at him. Ginny smirked and winked at her brother. Hermione looked like she was close to solving a puzzle. A puzzle that would no doubt lead to Ron's unfortunate death. Neville looked over at Harry and saw him staring across the hall. Neville's eyes searched and realized that Malfoy was staring unabashedly at Ron. And while Neville's eye sight wasn't exactly the best, it looked like Ron had another potential murderer.

Malfoy looked livid. The other Slytherins seemed to find Harry's current location as rather humorous and many had started laughing. The rest of the hall seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for something to happen. Harry swore and dropped his head to the table. Malfoy glared at Zabini, who was laughing the loudest amongst the Slytherins, grabbed his things and stormed out of the Great Hall. Hermione turned to Ron, no doubt ready to start her interrogation. Before she could get very far though, Harry elbowed Ron in the chest, wrenched himself free, and turned around and glared at his best friend. And then Harry, the boy-who-lived, the chosen one, the savior of the wizarding world, whispered to the traitor that he might as well have gotten up on the head table and announced Harry was gay, since he'd essentially outed Harry just now. At this, Harry ran out of the room. Neville's jaw dropped. Hermione smirked, raised her eyebrow at Ron, and quickly reached for Ron's left arm. She would have succeeded in her quest if it weren't for Quidditch-honed reflexes. He jerked his arm out of her grasp, grabbed his things and walked out of the room as quickly as he could.

Seamus turned to Dean, Dean turned to Ginny, Ginny turned to Hermione, and Hermione continued to look at the door, thinking through the possibilities. Slowly, Hermione turned to Neville and asked for his thoughts. Neville bit his lip, looked nervously into Hermione's knowing eyes, and told her that according to his anonymous sources, Ronald Bilius Weasley had been marked and was now a Death Eater. He didn't add that it seemed his first mission had been to embarrass and publicly discredit Voldemort's number one enemy. Hermione's eyes narrowed. She hummed. And then she too grabbed her bag and left.

Neville instinctively realized what this meant. Despite his thoughts earlier that morning, he didn't really want to die a virgin. So, he stood and walked over to Luna. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, but she turned his face and kissed him. He turned bright red as she released him, and told him in a breathy whisper that she was looking forward to their date next weekend. She gave him another quick kiss and pushed him towards Hannah. Neville stumbled over to Hannah. Hannah frowned for a bit, before her lips quickly turned to a smirk. She too leaned forward and kissed Neville. And then she stood up, turned to Luna and beckoned towards the door. Luna gracefully stood up and nearly danced over to Hannah, looping their arms as they walked out of the hall. The hall was once again silent, and Zabini looked at Neville with his mouth wide open. Seamus snapped the silence first, and with a booming voice he proclaimed that their little Neville was growing up too. Neville took that as his cue to leave and walked as fast as he could out of the hall without being called a coward.


End file.
